President Trump Agrees To Honor “One China” Policy During Call With Chinese President

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping engaged in a “lengthy” and “extremely cordial” phone call on Thursday night, according to a White House statement. The White House reported that during the telephone correspondence, President Trump agreed to “honor our ‘one China’ policy,” at the request of President Xi.

“The two leaders discussed numerous topics and President Trump agreed, at the request of President Xi, to honor our ‘one China’ policy,” the White House statement said.

The White House also stated that diplomats from both countries will “engage in discussions and negotiations on various issues of mutual interest.”

Both leaders extended invitations to the other to visit their country during the “extremely cordial” phone call.

“President Trump and President Xi look forward to further talks with very successful outcomes,” the statement concluded.

In a statement issued from China’s Foreign Ministry, Xi is quoted as saying he believes China and the United States are “cooperative partners.”

“I believe that the United States and China are cooperative partners, and through joint efforts we can push bilateral relations to a historic new high,” Xi said in the statement.

“The development of China and the United States absolutely can complement each other and advance together. Both sides absolutely can become very good cooperative partners,” Xi continued.

“One China” refers to the policy that there is only one state called “China,” not two. Currently, the “People’s Republic of China,” or “mainland China” refuses to acknowledge the “Republic of China,” or “Taiwan” as part of its country, forcing those looking to have relations with the mainland to cut off all diplomatic ties with Taiwan.